Trump’s war with media divides nation

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

President Trump’s war with the press is apparent — just read any number of headlines from the New York Times, Washington Post or CNN, even The Daily Democrat, or listen to the president speak any given day.

Journalists, particularly those in the largest and most venerated news outlets, seem to be on a crusade against the newly inaugurated president while the president seems hellbent on destroying their credibility. But are they? Or, are they doing their jobs and investigating claims or allegations made by the President himself? Ergo: President Obama ordered Trump’s Florida home to be bugged.

Neither of these approaches is particularly good for a free society that relies upon a free press. Yet, at this moment in American history, the battle is simultaneously disconcerting and necessary; frightening and cathartic; and frustrating and perhaps uplifting.

President Trump is popularizing a feeling that large numbers of Americans have felt about media. This has been a particularly strong sentiment among Republicans who have claimed for decades that the media’s treatment of progressives and Democrats is far more favorable than that of conservatives and Republicans.

Over the years, the angst toward media by those who lean to the political right has only worsened and there has not been much in the way of reform by the press. It has led to segregated perspectives — where conservatives flee in droves to more favorable news outlets. This has been amplified by a growing trend where people seek out the news that supports their specific political or ideological views. A Republican might get his news from FOX. A Democrat might go to CNN or MSNBC. That only makes the us vs. them problem worse.

Journalists — and major media outlets — need to take some time for introspection and realize that we, too, are part of the problem. It’s not all President Trump. The stories we choose to cover, how we cover issues, the headlines we write, the op-eds we publish, the balance in perspective offered and the word choices we use are all part of this discussion.

Of course, the president too shares blame. President Trump has made a reputation and gained popularity — and rightful criticism — for his loose-lipped approach and use of hyperbole. There is no excuse for some of his rhetoric. Trump may detest some of the coverage of his administration, but that doesn’t justify trying to undermine First Amendment rights to cover the nation’s government. The press after all is not “the enemy of the people.” That sort of talk is a step down the road toward a totalitarian state.

The problem is, however, a mutual war between the president and the media only leads to a more divided nation where people read, listen or watch the news that most conforms to their worldview. It also leads to the disintegration of the Fourth Estate where average people truly do not know what “news” to believe. Trump started this fight years ago when he claimed Obama was born in Africa. He has contributed to the worsening condition with his nightly Twitter-storm, while he and his staff has ridiculed so-called “fake news” or spoken about “alternative facts.”

We in media have also decided to become activists instead of observers, Trump has used our work as a rallying cry to unite his party behind him — many people not inclined to support him otherwise — because he has identified a common enemy: media. It’s a shrewd political maneuver and our industry ought to take note.

There’s nothing wrong with President Trump pointing out instances of bias or dishonesty in the press. Media must be held accountable too.

But the White House should never be the arbiter of which media outlets are right and wrong, fair and unfair, acceptable and unacceptable. That goes against the grain of the Constitution, which establishes the press as the people’s check on the government; if we lose that, we lose democracy.

Now is the time, though, for those of us in the information industry, to reflect and provide the service we are meant to provide the public: objective, unbiased and in-depth news, while standing up for the principles of a free press. That’s the best way we can serve our fellow Americans.